O Radix Jesse – O Root of Jesse Antiphon for December 19
O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the people; before you kings will shut their mouths, to you, the nations will make their prayer: Come and deliver us, and delay no longer.
O Adonai Antiphon for December 18
O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel, appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.
Forgotten Altars? Take Another Look!
This little chapel sits in the corner of a larger room. A great deal of care has been taken with the chapel. There is an Advent stand with the Advent candles, a cross in the corner on the wall, the hymn board, the candles, and book stand on the altar, the altar linens and the altar hangings. The scene in the altar antependium is that of the manger in a circle or nimbus with the star. The various blues of the background indicate the shades of the nighttime sky. The charm comes in knowing that in this place, someone has taken care to ensure that the altar of the Lord is prepared for the services that will take place in this tiny chapel.
The Ecclesiastical Sewing Family’s Easter in 2017
The Ecclesiastical Sewing Family’s Easter in 2017 and a special church project. Dossal curtain – Dossals, traditionally adorned with intricate embroideries, like the Lanercost Dossal. Tailored to fit sanctuary dimensions, for instance, is 88” wide and 124” long, complementing stained glass. A captivating coincidence forms a cross with the dossal and stained glass, as seen in the Good Friday dossal, the dossal and the stained glass make a cross on the back wall behind the big wooden cross.
Good Friday 2017 and Stabat Mater Dolorosa
Good Friday in 2017 – church adhered to solemn customs, draping the altar in black with six candles, the seventh being the Paschal candle. While black is our choice, I found practices in other churches, employing red or violet. Despite the somber tone of Good Friday services, they set the stage for a joyous Easter celebration.
Litchfield Brocade Dossal Curtain
The Fabric chosen for the Dossal is the lovely and rich Litchfield Brocade with Red/Gold Fairford orphrey bands edged with Landsdowne Braid. These fabric and trim combinations create a stunning final result that has added beauty and color to the church.
Palm Sunday 2017
Palm Sunday, the celebration of Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, This Sunday is a special Sunday with all the traditions accompanying it: the hymns, the palm or olive or willow or flowering branches, the professionals, and vestments and paraments.
St. Margaret Ivory Lurex Altar Frontal
The fabrics selection on this project is St. Margaret in the Ivory Lurex color and St. Hubert in the Gold/Gold color. Oak Leaf gallon was used to edge the orphrey, and a metallic gold thread fringe graces the lower edge of the superfrontal and frontal. The superfrontal is made entirely from the Gold/Gold St. Hubert with the metallic gold fringe as the only adornment. The frontal is made using St. Margaret as the base fabric, with orphreys of St. Hubert in Gold/Gold with the 1-inch wide Oak Leaf galloon used to finish the edges.
Orphrey Bands for Altar Frontal
The Orphrey bands for the altar frontal will be cut from St. Hubert Gold/Gold. St. Hubert is a brocatelle Ecclesiastical Fabric originally designed by Sir Ninian Comper and produced by M. Perkins and Sons circa 1890. The fabric will be available on our new website shortly after the first of the year in several colorways, including Red/Gold, White/Gold, Blue/Gold, Black/Gold, and Gold/Gold as in the above photo. St. Hubert is one of my favorite go-to ecclesiastical fabrics. It cuts up well for use in orphrey bands. The above orphrey bands are approximately 7″ wide before adding any trims
St. Ignatius Mission Banners
Embroidery is a perfect medium for use on banners, a true labor of love, provided there are skilled embroiderers available for the work required. But sadly, there were times when this level of devotion may not have been possible for a banner. When embroidery was not an option, banners were sometimes hand-painted like these Banners located at the Ursuline Center.
Frontal at St. Ignatius Mission
St. Ignatius Mission. The Mission is in the tiny town of St. Ignatius, MT, at the southern edge of Flathead Lake, and about forty miles north of Missoula. This is one of those remote churches that have been on the “Must See” list. With a trip to Glacier Park, it was the perfect time to visit.
Visiting a Grand Cathedral the Proper Way
Features of Church architecture and Church Vestments awaiting our viewing pleasure.
Altar Frontals
The Ecclesiastical Fabric has been used as the base fabric for the entire Superfrontal. The Superfrontal is designed so that it extends to the back edge of the altar with no overhang down the back side. This same style of superfrontal could be created using a cotton duck or dowlas fabric for the decking and using the Ecclesiastical Brocade on the front and end pieces.
Laetare Sunday or Rose Vestments
Using Rose Vestments during Advent and Lent varies among differing church bodies. The New Liturgical Movement has some information on the historical use of Rose Vestments within the Catholic Church. The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod’s view on Rose Vestments is slightly different. If a Rose Vestment Set is desired or planned for your church, be sure to check with your pastor or bishop concerning appropriate use and guidelines for liturgical colors.
Planning – First Steps for Altar Frontal
For this altar frontal, the plan is to use two 7″ orphrey bands on either side of the center front. There will be a solid space of white that will be about 9″ wide left between the orphrey bands. This band or space that was left would be adorned with a host of hand-embroidery designs. The project will have to be content with plain bands of white between the rows of orphreys.
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